U.S. Pat. No. 6,875,744 B2 discloses short bioactive peptides that are primarily made from phenylalanine, alanine, leucine and lysine. Such peptides are water soluble or miscible and have been reported to offer a low in-vitro minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against P. acnes. Benefits for hydrophobic acylated peptides of similar sequences have been reported and include increasing cell density of fibroblast-cells in the Cyquant cell proliferation assay (Molecular probes, C-7026) due to boosting the immune system by acting like a host defense peptide. Host defense peptides boost the innate immune system and have been shown to have a number of immunomodulatory functions including altering host gene expression, acting as chemokines and/or inducing chemokine production, inhibiting lipopolysaccharide induced pro-inflammatory cytokine production, promoting wound healing, and modulating the responses of dendritic cells and cells of the adaptive immune response. The boosting of such aspects of healthy skin are the same as are required for younger and less-wrinkled skin.
It is not generally recommended that such peptides be stored in solution. However, the shelf life of peptides is extended for sequences not containing Cysteine, Methionine, Tryptophan, Asparagine and Glutamine.
Peptides are not very useful if they are insoluble in the aqueous buffers required for testing in bioassay systems. Peptides can be made more lipophilic with long chain (C12-C22) alkyl esters or amides on the terminus to modify the interaction of the peptide with skin lipids but this modification drastically changes the solubility and makes peptides difficult to deliver in a stable aqueous cosmetic vehicle. Many biochemists use dimethylformamide or dimethylsulfoxide to help dissolve peptides for aqueous bioassay. Both of these solvents are not considered acceptable for cosmetic use. Solvents like ethoxydiglycol or dimethylisosorbide are useful cosmetic solvents for enhancing skin activity and can help solubilize the lipophilic peptide in an oil phase. However, formulations of excess lipophilic solvent can remove surface lipids and leave the skin feeling dry or brittle. U.S. Pat. No. 4,814,173 teaches the combination of dimethylisosorbide, peptide and silicone elastomers as part of a preferred transdermal matrix system.
Wolfberry extract, goji berry or Lycium barbarum extract are considered natural anti-aging foods of originally Chinese and Mongolian origin. U.S. Pat. No. 4,880,630 gives examples of how to extract Lycium halimifolium for use as an active ingredient, similar to methods used for Lycium barbarum. It was reported in Phytomedicine 12 (2005) 131-137 that Lycium barbarum glycoconjugates (LbGp), particularly LbGp5, had promoted the in-vitro survival of human fibroblasts in sub-optimal conditions. There still remains an unmet need for improved rebuilding of the in-vivo/ex-vivo skin matrix by synergistically improving dermal fibroblast regulation with ingredients delivered topically and that maintain the skin in a moist healthy state and maintain the proper skin barrier lipid balance.